Handle guard for well casing elevators



H. E. GRAU HANDLE GUARD FORv WELL- CASVING ELEVATORS Dec. 24, 1935.

FiledAug. 24, v19:54 2 sheets-sheet 1 www3@ 'ww Y Dec. 24, 1935. H. E.GRAU n 2,025,047

HANDLE GUARD FOR WELL CASING ELEVATORS Filed Aug. 24, 1954 2sheets-sneet'a Patented Dec. 24, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HANDLEGUARD FOR WELL CASING ELEVATORS Application August 24, 1934, Serial No.741,257

comms.

This invention relates to well casing elevators, such as are supportedon elevator links, and which engage the collar on well casing or drill`piping in deep wells for raising and lowering the same.- This elevatoris of a split collar type adapted to be swung open to receive the upperend of the casing or tube string when being attached to the same. Theinvention relates particularly to that type of elevator commonly calleda "center latch elevator, because it comprises a pair of semicircularcasing-encircling sections or doors hinged together at the back andvprovidedwith a latch member at the front.

It has been connnon practice to provide center-latch elevators withoutwardly and forwardly projecting "horns or "horn handles, such as areshown in United States Patent No. 1,468,589, issued September 18, 1923,to W. W. Wilson. While these handles have been very convenient foropening and closing the elevator, they have v had the disadvantage thatthe operator is apt to pinch his hand or fingers between the handles andelevator links when opening or closing theelevator.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a constructionwhich will overcome this objection; also to .provide handles for such anelevator which will operate effectively for opening and closing theelevator, and which will provide a good hand-hold for the hand that isapplied to the handle for opening and closing the elevator.

A further object of the invention is' to construct the guard in such away that the use of the guard does not unnecessarily increase the lengthof the handle. A

A further object of the invention is to construct the handles so thatthey will have ample strength 4U to prevent their being accidentallybroken off.

Further objects of the invention Will appear hereinafter. l f

'Ihe invention consists in the novel parts and combinations of parts tobe describedV hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an efcienthandle guard for well casing elevators.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the followingspecifications, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an elevator embodying my invention andshowing the elevator links in cross section on a plane just above theElevator,

, Figure 2 is a front elevation of the elevator illustrated in Figure 1,showing the lower portions of its supporting links broken away.v

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the elevator illustrated in Figures 1and 2, but omitting the sup- 5 porting links for the same.

Referring more particularly to the parts, the elevator I preferablyconsists .of two gates or doors 2 and 3 which are connected together bya hinged joint at the back by means of a substan- 10 tially verticalhinge pin 4. l These gates or doors 2 and 3 cooperate to form al splitcollar and are provided with diametrically disposed meeting faces 5which come'together in the closed condition of the elevator and theadjacent faces of 15 the doors 2 and 3 are provided with arcuatesemicircular faces 6 which cooperate to form an opening or bore to fltaccurately to the diameter of the pipe or casing that; is to besuspended in the elevator by engaging a collar on the upper end of thepipe. Adjacent the freev end I of each door,

' I provide a. forwardly projecting elongated handle Il and thesehandles are preferably inclined outwardly although they are preferablydisposed in a substantially horizontal plane.

In other words, these handles diverge from each other, as viewed in plan(see Fig.- 1). Each door is provided with a laterally and forwardlyprojecting ear 9 and in the present instance each of y these ears isdiverted so as to present an upper portion or lug 9a and a lower portionor lug 9b between which a recess I0 is formed to receive the lower endof the supporting link II, at that side of the elevator. The recess I0,in the present instance, is closed by a movable latch bar I2, which isattached by a pivot I3 to the lower lug 9b and secured by a bolt I4 tothe upper lug 9a. This locking bar I2 is disclosed in a copendingapplication Serial No. 741,249, i'lled August 24th, 40 1934, by ChesterA. Lundeen.

Near the outer end of each handle 8 I provide a handhold Ila beyondwhich the handle preferably terminates in a pull -or knob I5 which .ispreferably of substantially spherical form. Between each handhold Ilaand its adjacent link I I I provide a guard member I6 and each of theseguard members is preferably formed of a tapered spur, the longitudinalaxis of which is4 inclined. with respect to the longitudinal axis of thehandie carrying the guard. In other words, these guards projectlaterally and outwardly on the outer sides of the handles and theirinner sides are preferably formed with convex faces Il lying near theface of the adjacent link. On the outer side edge each guard It ispreferably formed with y a concave face Il, as viewed in plan.

By employing the concave faces il, the guar is cut back toward its edgeand this has 'the effect of giving an increased length for the adjacenthandhold Ma for a given length of handle.

yThe handles 8 are preferably formed integral with their correspondinggates 2 or 3, and, in order to strengthen these handles and preventtheir being broken off accidentally, I prefer to provide a tapered ribIl on the underside of each handle. Theinner end of this rib, of course,unites integrally with the corresponding door 2 or 3. Each rib is sotapered that it dies out on the handle. near the root of the guard I6.In. Fig. 1 the dotted lines 20 and 2l indicate the outlines of this rib,as viewed in plan.

The elevator is` preferably held in its closed position by means of alatch 22 (see Fig. 2) which is secured to a lrocking pin 23 providedwith a spring 24, exerting its force in a direction to hold the head ofthe latch 22 in a socket 25 on the opposite door or gate. This latch isdisclosed in the copending application Serial No. 741,403, led August25th,`1934, lby Chester A. Lundeen.

It will beevident that inusing this elevator the doors 2 and l canreadily be swung open or closed by seizing the handhelds Ila and pullingthem inthe proper direction. It will also be evident that the guards I6,located as they are between the handholds and the links Il prevent thepossibility of the fingers of the hand from being pinched against theadjacent faces ofthe links II.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described hereinis only one of the many embodiments this invention may take, and I donot wish to be limited in the practice of the invention, nor in theclaims, to the particular embodiment set forth.

What I claim is:

1. In a well .casing elevator to be supported on elevator links, thecombination of a pair of relatively movable doors connected together at-the rear side of the elevator and adapted to close about the wellcasing, a latch connecting the front ends of said doors, each doorhaving an elongated outwardly extending handle adjacentl the free end ofthe door, each handle having a handhold located toward its outer end,and having a guard member in the form of a spur proiecting out from thehandle and located betwee thehandhold and the adjacent link.

2. In a well casing elevator construction, the combination of a pair ofsupporting links, an elevator having 'a pair of doors hinged together atthe rear and having outwardly and forwardly extending ears at the sidessupported on the said links Irespectively, each of said doors having anelongated outwardly extending handle adjacent its forward end with ahandhold adjacent the outer end thereof, and a guard on each handleprojecting laterally and outwardly therefrom bethe rear side of theelevator and adapted to 35- tween the handhold and its adjacent link,and

- limiting relative movement of the links toward the handholds.

3. In a well casing elevator to be supported on elevator'links, thecombination of a pairof 5 relatively movable doors connected together atthe rear side of the elevator and adapted to close about the wellcasing, a latch across the front ends of said doors, each door havinglan elongated handle extending forwardly in an inclined 10 direction,with a handhold adjacent the outer end of the handle, and a guard oneach handle in the form of an integral spur projecting laterally fromthe outerside of the handle between the handhold and the adjacent link,said spurs operating to lim- 15 it the relative movement of the linkstoward said handholds.

4. In a well casing elevator to be supported von elevator links, thecombination of a pair of relatively movable doors connected together at20 the rear side of the elevator and adapted to close about the wellcasing, a latch across the front ends of said sections, each door havingan nal axis is inclined with respectto the longi- 30 tudinal axis of thehandle. l 5. In a well casing elevator to be supported on elevatorlinks, the combination of a pair of relatively movable doors connectedtogether at close about the well casing, a latch across the front endsof said doors, each door having an elongated outwardly extending handleadjacent the free end of the door, each handle having a handhold locatedtoward its outer end, with a 40 guard member located between thehandhold and the adjacent link, each guard being in the form of anintegral spur located so that its longitudinal axis is inclined withrespect to the longitudinal axis of the handle, each handle beingintegral 45 with its corresponding door and having an integral rib onits underside, said rib having its greatest depth at the do'or andterminating at its outer end adjacent the handhold.

6. In a well casing elevator to be supported 50

